Soaking rains hit Wayne County; parking lot at Newark Walmart flooded

Flooding appears to have started following heavy rains that began in earnest this morning, and are expected to into Friday before letting up

Wayne Post

Writer

Posted Jun. 13, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 13, 2013 at 1:18 PM

Posted Jun. 13, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 13, 2013 at 1:18 PM

MPNnow.com

Flooding appears to have started following heavy rains that began in earnest this morning, and are expected to continue into Friday before letting up.

The rains began rolling through Thursday morning on ground already saturated from a run of rainy weather. A flood watch from the National Weather Service is in effect for areas across the state.

Because of the soggy ground, runoff is expected to be greater than usual, and flash flooding is possible in some places.

In some farm fields already full of puddles from previous rains, crops may be affected. Heavy rains are flooding the muck fields of Bodine Farms in Arcadia, and farmers are hoping the rain ends soon before they lose all of their new crops.

At the Newark Walmart, the parking lot is flooding, and the water is edging into Route 31. Authorities are on the scene directing traffic past the store, which flooded several years ago as well.

Highway crews in Arcadia are watching several areas where flooding has the potential to wash out roads.

In Wayne County, between 1 and 2 inches of precipitation possible, according to the National Weather Service. Between 1/10 and 1/4 of an inch is possible overnight, with a chance of rain or drizzle Friday, mainly before 1 p.m.

Canal measures

The New York State Canal Corporation has announced several preemptive measures it has taken in response to a large storm system that is affecting most of the eastern United States, including many areas throughout the Canal Corridor.

“All canal employees are on high alert and we are carefully monitoring conditions throughout the canal system,” said Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton. “The measures being taken are preventative in nature and are designed to minimize impacts related to flooding, and to allow us to re-open all sections of the canal as quickly as possible once the storm passes.”

The Canal Corporation had lowered levels in different areas of the Canal system, including the Mohawk River portion of the Erie Canal, in advance of today’s rainfall to build additional storage for rising waters.

In addition, the following measures have been taken:

Locks E-6 (Waterford) through E-25 (Mays Point) on the Erie Canal are closed;

Locks C-1 (Halfmoon) through C-7 (Fort Edward) on the Champlain Canal are closed;

Locks O-1 (Phoenix) through O-8 (Oswego) on the Oswego Canal are closed;

The Cayuga-Seneca Canal is closed from Lock CS-1 (Cayuga) to the Erie Canal.

Canal staff is coordinating closely with the National Weather Service, and

canal staff has assisted in moving vessels on the canal to more secure locations as necessary, and assisting vessel owners with access to electricity, water, bathrooms and other services.